So next week we'll all be in Cannes, the home of commercial creativity. Once again, we'll marvel at the lack of modesty and discretion shown by the average creative director. But that's only to be expected. To paraphrase Francis Scott Fitzgerald: "Creative people are not like us - they have more talent." To me it's not surprising that the technicians who worked for Abdellatif Kechiche on his Palme d'or winner La Vie d'Adèle found the atmosphere difficult, according to an official announcement by the Spiac-GGT union (see Le Monde, May 24). As Uma Thurman would say: "What did you expect?" Great movie directors are rarely soft and cuddly. Cecil B. de Mille was an egotistical monster. Alfred Hitchcock treated actors like cattle. And I doubt that James Cameron is always Mr Nice Guy. Marshalling all the resources required to make a film requires an unwavering vision and an almost military sense of discipline.
And so it is, on a smaller scale, with creative directors. It is their job to be demanding, with themselves and their team. And no doubt their clients also expect them to be confident, colourful and opinionated. Big ideas demand big personalities. You want humble? Go to the festival of accountants. But personally, I prefer to mix with the creatives. One of my favourite ads of all time consisted of a single word: "Egoïste!"
